The Class of 2028 has taken on Brunswick, Maine, but who are they really? In this year’s First-Year Student Survey (FYSS), the Bowdoin Orient digs into the facts and opinions of the first-year class.

Members of the Class of 2028 were excited about the College. Sixty-two percent of survey respondents said Bowdoin was their top choice when applying to schools. Almost half (47 percent) applied Early Decision I, with another 18 percent applying Early Decision II.

Considering the college-choice certainty of the Class of 2028, the Orient polled how sure these respondents are about their career choices. Among those who reported choosing to apply in either Early Decision I or II, 25 percent were unsure about their future career, while 40 percent of those who reported applying Regular Decision were unsure about their future career.

Roughly 47 percent of respondents went to non-magnet, non-charter public high schools, and ten percent attended public magnet or charter schools. Roughly 37 percent attended secular private schools, while five percent attended private religious schools. In total, 57 percent of the Class of 2028 attended a public high school, and 42 percent attended a private school.

Additionally, 55 percent of respondents reported being on financial aid. Of those that reported being on financial aid, roughly 51 percent have 80 to 100 percent of their tuition covered, and 21 percent are receiving 65 to 80 percent of their tuition.

While the College does not use loans to calculate financial aid, students may still take out loans to meet the cost of their education. For the Class of 2028, only 16 percent expect to do so. For the Class of 2027, 18 percent expected to take on loans.

Sixteen percent of the first-year class has a relative who attended the College. Around seven percent said one or more parents attended, while around four percent have a sibling who went to the College.

When asked about their sexual orientation, 61 percent of the Class of 2028 identify as straight, 20 percent identify as bisexual and eight percent identify as gay. Another 15 percent identify as asexual, pansexual, demisexual, queer or questioning.

Academics

When asked about their intended majors, respondents showed interest in the majority of Bowdoin’s academic departments. Biology and government and legal studies were the front-runner choices, with 31 percent and 29 percent of respondents, respectively, reporting an interest in majoring. For the Class of 2027, biology was the second most popular intended major with roughly nine percent of respondents, and government and legal studies was the first with 11 percent.

When it comes to the new course registration system released this summer, the Class of 2028 was pleased for the most part, with the average satisfaction at seven on a scale of one to ten. Additionally, 46 percent of respondents who answered about course registration also wrote a response about their feelings on the system.

Others were satisfied with the variety of options for incoming students who wanted more clarity about the upcoming semester.

“It was pretty easy to do, and I liked having my schedule before I arrived on campus, as it helped me mentally prepare myself for the workload and experience to expect,” a respondent said.

However, others felt they had little support throughout the process from pre-major advisors.

“I really wish I could’ve talked to someone from Bowdoin while selecting my courses, because I felt like I had no guidance,” a respondent said.

Respondents showed a sharp tendency towards academic honesty. When asked if they have ever cheated on a test or assignment, 91 percent of first years who filled out the survey responded “never” or “rarely.”

The survey assessed first years’ outlook on an increasingly controversial topic in academics—artificial intelligence. When asked if they have ever used ChatGPT or other AI tools for an academic assignment, 64 percent of respondents said “no.” Out of those who responded “yes,” 37.5 percent reported that they used AI for writing, 46.3 percent said they used it for editing and 42.5 percent said they used it for research.

Though Covid-19 continues to affect millions globally, the results of the survey suggest that the Class of 2028’s academic growth was only marginally impacted by the global pandemic. When asked if they believe their academic development was impacted by Covid, 66 percent of respondents said “not at all” or “a little bit.”

Thirteen percent of respondents who reported Covid affecting them “severely” also reported cheating “sometimes” compared to 12 percent among those who reported Covid affecting them “a moderate amount.” Among those who said that Covid affected them “a little bit” or “not at all,” ten percent and seven percent, respectively, reported cheating “sometimes.”

Lifestyle and Beliefs

Respondents were asked about their use of substances prior to arriving at the College. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they had consumed alcohol prior to coming to the College, while 39 percent said they had used marijuana, five and six percent increases respectively from responses last year. Seventeen percent of respondents said they have smoked cigarettes, and 19 percent said they have vaped before the fall semester.

In a four percent increase from last year, 14 percent of respondents answered that they own a fake ID. Additionally, 36 percent of respondents reported having sex prior to coming to Bowdoin, a seven percent increase compared to the class of 2027.

A majority of respondents, 59 percent, indicated that they spend two or more hours a day using social media, with the number dropping to 20 percent for those spending three or more hours. The most popular social media platform is once again Instagram, with 95 percent of respondents saying they use it. Snapchat and TikTok come in second and third place with 65 percent and 51 percent of respondents, respectively. The least popular social media platform in the survey was Threads with only three percent of respondents.

Interestingly, respondents’ average screen time was correlated with the social media platforms they reported using. BeReal users averaged a daily screen time of 98 minutes, those on Instagram and Tiktok reported average screen times of 113 minutes and 125 minutes, respectively, and respondents on Threads reported an average daily screen time of 144 minutes.

Politically, the first-year class was consistent with previous classes in leaning toward more liberal beliefs; the average response was 30 on a scale from 0 to 100, with zero being the most left and 100 being the most right. Most indicative for upcoming elections, there was greater discrepancy in the average political leaning of respondents by where they intended to vote and if they were international.

Varsity athletes averaged roughly 38 on the political scale, while non-athletes averaged 28. By career fields, those interested in finance averaged 50 on the scale, non-profit averaged 5, communications and media averaged 9, business and administration averaged 17 and education averaged 39. Those in substance-free living averaged roughly 35 on the scale while those not in substance-free housing averaged around 28.

Those who indicated they were going to vote in Maine averaged roughly 24 on the scale, and those planning to vote in their home states averaged around 31. Those ineligible to vote in the US averaged a political leaning of around 38 on the scale.

 

In ranking their priorities, respondents on average ranked academics first, followed by social life, mental health/wellbeing, career prospects, extracurriculars and finally athletics.

Last but not least, the answers for which everyone was waiting: “Do you own or plan to own Blundstones?” Seventeen percent of respondents said “yes,” and 22 percent said “maybe.” Among respondents that said they were interested in studying Earth and Oceanographic Science, 33 percent said “yes,” 40 percent said “maybe” and 27 percent said “no.”

Janet Briggs, Shihab Moral, Marc Rosenthal, Margaret Unger, Tom Wilson and Maile Winterbottom contributed to this report.

Look at the questions of the survey

Learn more about our methodology

Editor's Note on September 13 at 1:30 p.m.: An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated that among respondents that said they were interested in studying Environmental and Oceanographic Studies, 33 percent said “yes,” 40 percent said “maybe” and 27 percent said “no” to the question of owning or planning to own Blundstones. This is true of students interested in studying Earth and Oceanographic Science. Environmental and Oceanographic Studies is not a program or department at Bowdoin.